Draco leaned back in his chair, his eyes still blazing, but his features calmer otherwise. "That's... hmm. Pretty risky, don't you think?"
"I do, but I wasn't consulted."
"Sow discord how?"
Snape scowled. "All we know for certain is that this... individual has been warning attack victims in advance to clear off. Therefore, Voldemort will believe that someone in his ranks is not trustworthy."
"Harry's dream!" Draco said, his own mouth dropping open much as Tonks' had earlier. "That... that was true. You weren't seeing Lucius, you were seeing this other..." A deep sigh, then. "You might have told me. I mean, I know perfectly well that Lucius is an evil arsehole, but the whole time I've been wondering why my prophetic brother dreams he's helping Muggleborns." His voice grew derisive. "And there wasn't any alibi for Samhain, was there? That was just something you said to shut me up when I told you that Lucius ought to be locked up."
"Yes." Snape summoned a chair over to Draco's side and sat in it. "All I knew at that point was that Albus had persuaded me to drop the matter. And in light of Harry's state of mind at the time, I let myself become convinced. Only later did I learn of this Order scheme."
"Look, I understand what you're saying," Draco admitted, though he still looked angry. "But it's not right! Pansy's dead because the Order decided to let Lucius remain free. He really should have been kissed for what he did to Harry, and if he had, I'd still have... well, no I wouldn't, since it turns out she hated my guts all along. But that's beside the point. Letting Lucius stay free is too dangerous. Who knows what horrible thing he'll do next, Severus?"
"The Order has determined that to be risk worth taking, Draco."
"Well the Order can just go fuck itself, then!" screamed Draco, jumping up. "I'll go report this myself, including the ethics of certain Aurors, if I have to! And don't think I won't have proof. There's the portkey Nott went on about--"
"Albus cleansed it of magic," said Tonks, popping a new stick of gum into her mouth, even as she tapped her wand to the wad sticking to the table. It vanished with a slight hissing noise. "And even if he hadn't, all it proves is that your... er, Lucius wanted you to have a way to return to him. He'll say it's older than this year, and he gave it to you when the two of you were still getting on."
"Getting on," muttered Draco. "Oh yeah, we used to really get on. Makes me sick to think about it." He glared at Snape. "I guess I should take it for granted that Nott and Torquay and Greezer aren't going to remember a thing about Lucius by the time they make it to Azkaban."
"Kingsley is seeing to it," Snape mildly agreed.
Draco looked from Snape, to Harry, to Tonks, shaking his head all the while. "If you ask me, you're all twits. Do you think Lucius is just going to stand idly by while some Order wizard makes him look bad to the Dark Lord? He probably knows already that something fishy is going on. Or do you think he doesn't wonder why he hasn't been charged for a thing, yet?"
"He likely believes his influence and riches are protecting him. As they have before."
"Or he wouldn't be a governor still, right. He should never have been reinstated." Draco sighed and pushed his hair out of his eyes. "I still say he must suspect something more than that. But I don't delude myself that I can influence Order policy, even if this whole thing is riskier than you lot seem to realise." He closed his eyes. "Whoever's impersonating Lucius is going to get caught. And when that happens, what Lucius did to Harry will look like a fucking joke. Mark my words."
Harry felt a chill sweep over him. "I think the... uh, impersonator must be being really careful..."
Draco gave him a look that said, loud and clear, how much he pitied anybody that deluded. "You think Lucius is stupid? He'll figure it out."
Harry swallowed hard and tried not to believe that. Of course what Remus was doing was horribly dangerous, but it would all work out, right? It had to.
Draco stood up and glanced around, seeming to only then remember to put on his company manners. "If you'll excuse me, then--"
"Just a second," said Tonks as she rose to her feet, too. "Look, Malfoy-- Draco. I'm sorry I didn't realise last time where you're at these days. I didn't know what you were up to, but I couldn't believe your heart was in the right place--"
Draco gave a dry laugh. "You couldn't believe I had a heart, you mean."
"Yeah, that too." She gave a tremulous smile, a little more of her colour coming back, though it was nowhere near as vibrant as usual. "But, uh... you seem pretty interested in putting your... er, Lucius away, and I'm sure now you didn't have anything to do with the murder... so..." She adopted a more professional air, standing a bit straighter. "You keep your nose clean and get high marks on your N.E.W.T.s and do your best for Harry here, and when it's time for you to apply to the Aurors' program... well, we'll talk."
Draco's only answer was a curt nod.
Tonks stared at the bedroom door once it had closed behind the Slytherin boy. "He really doesn't have any love lost for his..."
"For Lucius," said Harry firmly. "And think about it. That's got to be really hard, knowing what he knows. Thanks for saying that thing about the Aurors' program, Tonks. I know that means a lot to Draco. He really wants to be an Auror."
She popped her gum, the noise so loud Harry stared. "Think he can get used to having half-bloods and Muggleborns in charge? That'll be a new one for him, I expect. There are some purebloods in MLE, but not everybody in authority is one. I don't know if he can handle that aspect of the job."
Harry quickly walked to the table, snatched up a quill, and wrote, He's probably listening.
Tonks grinned and wrote back, Well, yeah, Harry. Last time I checked he hadn't changed his whole personality.
And then Harry understood. This was Tonks' way of dropping Draco a hint.
Thanks, he wrote.
Tonks just nodded, then moved on to Ministry business. "I'll need your statement as well. For the file."
Harry smiled, the expression a little wry. She wouldn't need to edit his statement. He knew what to say. All about Ron saving him because his own magic just wasn't so dependable.
But better that than tip off Voldemort what he was in for if he tangled again with Harry.
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Draco didn't say much at dinner that night, though he did perk up a little when Snape mentioned that news of the arrests would be in the morning papers. Harry figured he was thinking that the governors would see that and realise they'd blamed Draco for something he hadn't done. Of course, if they knew about the Venetimorica they'd definitely never reinstate Draco.
But they didn't know.
And Draco, Harry felt sure, wouldn't do something like that again.
"I wish you'd have let me be there for the rest of the interrogation," Harry said, still a little miffed that Snape had let him sleep through it.
His father merely shrugged. "You needed your rest."
"Ha. I've been through worse than what Nott did."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Well, that's probably the problem, Harry. You think it's perfectly normal to almost get killed."
"Well, maybe it is normal for me."
"Frame of reference, right. But are you really going to blame your father for doing his best to take care of you? I mean, there wasn't any reason why you had to be there when Nott spilled his guts again. You'd already heard it once."